Think Locally, Act Globally: How a Local Perspective Informs the Broader Narrative of Mississippianization in the American Midwest

Summary

The ‘Mississippianization’ of the Midwest unfolded during the late 11th and early 12th centuries as interactions with Cahokia influenced aspects of local community organization, ceremonialism, material culture, and access to exotic raw materials. For local peoples, these encounters and affiliations also facilitated interactions between Mississippian groups beyond Cahokia. The direct proximity of the Lower Illinois River Valley (LIRV) to the Greater Cahokia area enabled certain social, political, and economic interactions with American Bottom Mississippians that did not transpire with more distant groups, resulting in the closer adoption of Mississippian lifeways than observed further north. However, new data from the Audrey-North site (11Ge20) in the LIRV (AD 1100–1150) illustrate the localization of Mississippian practices in a village uniquely positioned within a vast network of long-distance exchange and sociopolitical interaction. This research adds to the growing narrative of local innovation and interregional interaction in the Mississippian Midwest. This paper further seeks to demonstrate the complexity of cross-cultural encounters and the value of the local perspective.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22302